Just after hearing about the death of Mamelodi Sundowns defender Anele Ngcongca, his former team RC Genk in Belgium paid him a tribute with the inscription: RIP Anele Legend Forever! outside their soccer stadium, Crystal Arena.
The wording was not only a remembrance but a description of what the Gugulethu-born defender meant to them. The four punchy words were a poignant melancholy to the team he represented with aplomb and diligence for 10 years. It is a norm in Europe that teams treat one of their own with utmost respect for the contribution they made while still serving them.
The Crystal Arena Stadium will forever be a fortress where Anele will linger in the memories of the boisterous Genk fans. I can imagine the eerie moment of silence they would have observed in his honour followed by the loud cheer for his contribution had it not been for the Covid-19 regulations at the soccer fields.
His tribute reminds me how Westerlo paid tribute to the late Jeffrey Ntuka by observing a moment of silence in his honour. To us South Africans, Ntuka was just an ordinary boy from Kroonstad in the Free State, but to the Belgians he was a cult hero. Racism aside, what I like about European teams is that they look after their players’ welfare on and off the field by either immortalising their players or honouring them by naming stadiums, buildings or streets after them. This gesture goes a long way in not forgetting how big the game is in their countries.
Just after the late Lesley Manyathela died tragically in a car accident, the Nancefield Stadium in his hometown Musina was named after him. Seventeen years after his passing, the Lesley Manyathela Stadium now resembles a cattle field as it finds itself in a dilapidated state. Manyathela should be turning in his grave to see the stadium named after him not reflecting what he represented while he was still alive.
As if Manyathela’s story is not shameful enough, there was a promise made to honour the late Thomas Madigage by renaming Soshanguve Giant Stadium in his memory. To this day, the stadium is still known by its old name, blemishing his legacy. This can be blamed on our football leaders who recite good speeches and eulogies during our heroes’ memorial services with laced promises of lies. This not only rubs the bereaved families up the wrong way, but it also exacerbates the pain that comes with losing the loved one.
It is often said that a prophet has no honour in his own town. This saying represents what our South African soccer players plying their trade outside our borders meant to their teams. Enter Leeds United Stadium and mingle with the bigwigs of football administrators. While quaffing Lucas Radebeer you will also enjoy a nice view of the stadium sitting at the Lucas Radebe suite while enjoying the drum beats of a local band Kaiser Chiefs, named after his former team. It is a transgression of decency to address a commoner as chief when they are not royal, but the Leeds United fans were prepared to be dragged to Queen Elizabeth’s palace to answer for calling Radebe "Chief". This is because of the leadership he showed after leading his Leeds subjects for 10 years with excellency.
Just take a walk to the Guildhall in the City of London and if you are not enjoying the landscape of the city, one will be welcomed by the framed pictures of Aaron Mokoena with the freedom of the City of London. Mokoena was bestowed with this honour for his contribution on and off the field as captain of Portsmouth in England and can move around the city without any persecution.
If Sibusiso Zuma is not loved in Hammersdale, the Danish have engraved him in their hearts for the contribution he has made in Copenhagen. A monument was made in his honour for the bicycle-kick he scored against Brondby. To Copenhagen FC, Zuma is what Nelson Mandela is to South Africans, a celebrated hero.
The SA soccer league, regarded as among the best 10 leagues in the world, can learn from their European counterparts by honouring their heroes while they are still alive. Tributes after one’s death are memorable but it is better to smell flowers when you are still alive.
• Mogotlane is a social commentator and a public servant and is writing in his own personal capacity
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